{"id":68,"date":"2019-05-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westmaitlanddentistry.com\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/"},"modified":"2019-05-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T00:00:00","slug":"7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Struggling to get your child to brush or floss their teeth?\u00a0 You\u2019re not alone!\u00a0 Getting your young one to brush or floss is a daily battle that most of us encounter.\u00a0 Here are some tips and tricks to not only get your little one to have fun brushing but also get them on a life long track to great oral health!<\/p>\n

Start early<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best time to start a good oral hygiene routine is before your child even get\u2019s their first tooth.\u00a0 When they are infants rub their gums with a wet wash cloth after feedings.\u00a0 This helps\u00a0establish a routine and also gets them comfortable with someone being in their mouth.<\/p>\n

Music Makes the Mouth Open<\/strong><\/p>\n

Incorporate music to help add some fun during brushing and flossing time.\u00a0 When brushing sing a song or dance to some music to make the time more exciting and special for your child.\u00a0 A popular app that kids enjoy is Brush DJ<\/a>.\u00a0 This free app plays music for two minutes, turning brushing time into a dance party. \u00a0 Dr. Dhaliwal uses this next trick with her daughter who loves to sing.\u00a0 She sings a note, such as \u201claaaa\u2019 and then has her four-year-old repeat it.\u00a0 The louder she sings the wider she opens!<\/p>\n

Tell a Story\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes distraction is key when it comes to dealing with children.\u00a0 Telling stories can keep kids\u2019 minds off of what is going on but can also make things more enjoyable.\u00a0 Let your child\u2019s imagination run wild by creating fun stories to go along with brushing.<\/p>\n

If your creativity needs some help, give names or numbers to the teeth and brush until all the names or numbers have been called.\u00a0 Likewise, using the term sugar bugs to describe plaque can help kids visualize what you are trying to brush out.\u00a0 Keep brushing your little one\u2019s teeth until you don\u2019t see any more sugar bugs in their mouths. \u00a0Don\u2019t forget to describe the color, shape, and size of each sugar bug you are brushing off!<\/p>\n

Finally, if you need even more help, try out\u00a0Star Teeth<\/a>. \u00a0This is an app that allows kids to pick a character to cheer them on while brushing.<\/p>\n

Copy Cats<\/strong><\/p>\n

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.\u00a0 Keep that in mind when you perform your own brushing routine. \u00a0Children tend\u00a0to pick up on and copy what they see. \u00a0Having a good oral hygiene routine yourself can rub off on your child.<\/p>\n

When teaching them brushing and flossing skills try the tell, show, do the method.<\/p>\n

Tell:<\/strong><\/em> Explain to your child how and why we brush our teeth in words they can understand.\u00a0 Give them opportunities to ask questions as well.<\/p>\n

Show:<\/strong><\/em> Demonstrate how you brush and floss teeth either on yourself or on a doll.\u00a0 This way they can familiarize themselves with the process before you brush in their mouth.<\/p>\n

*<\/em>Do: *Brush and floss their teeth or help them if they need assistance.<\/p>\n

Let Them Choose\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get your child more involved when it comes to picking out their toothbrush, toothpaste and mouth rinse flavors.\u00a0This will make them feel more excited and in control of the whole process.\u00a0 There are so many different characters themed toothbrushes for sale now. \u00a0Find one that engages and excites your child.\u00a0 Try a toothbrush that either is electric or has a light timer that changes from green to yellow to red. \u00a0Keep kids excited by allowing them to pick out a few of their favorite ones to switch up daily.<\/p>\n

Game On<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another way to make brushing more enjoyable is by making it into a game.\u00a0\u00a0While you are brushing their teeth, let them brush either their baby doll\u2019s teeth or your teeth.\u00a0\u00a0A good way for your children to have fun and visualize brushing habits is with the use of a disclosing tablet.\u00a0 After chewing, these tablets stain plaque a pink, purple or blue color.\u00a0 Let your child \u201cerase\u201d these colorful \u201csugar bugs\u201d with their toothbrush.<\/p>\n

Rewards<\/strong><\/p>\n

When all else fails, a little bribe goes a long way. \u00a0Positive reinforcement is a great tool to get kids on the right track when it comes to their brushing. \u00a0Dr. Dhaliwal uses this trick when it comes to her daughter\u2019s oral hygiene routine. \u00a0She makes a monthly chart, let her choose a sticker to put on it for every morning and night she brushes and flosses.\u00a0 At the end of the month, she lets her pick out a small prize for her achievement.<\/p>\n

Remember when it comes to children\u2019s brushing and flossing make sure the routine is consistent. For children under five, brush after them to remove plaque they have missed. \u00a0Children between five and eight can brush on their own but should be supervised. \u00a0If you need a refresher on how to keep children\u2019s teeth healthy, check out our blog<\/a> we posted earlier in the year. \u00a0The most important tip we can give you is to be patient and have fun. \u00a0We hope you enjoy these tips and have fun brushing!<\/p>\n

If you have any questions about your child\u2019s oral health or to schedule their first visit<\/a>\u00a0give us a call!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Struggling to get your child to brush or floss their teeth?\u00a0 You\u2019re not alone!\u00a0 Getting your young one to brush or floss is a daily battle that most of us encounter.\u00a0 Here are some tips and tricks to not only get your little one to have fun brushing but also get them on a life […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing - West Maitland Dentistry Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing - West Maitland Dentistry Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Struggling to get your child to brush or floss their teeth?\u00a0 You\u2019re not alone!\u00a0 Getting your young one to brush or floss is a daily battle that most of us encounter.\u00a0 Here are some tips and tricks to not only get your little one to have fun brushing but also get them on a life […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"West Maitland Dentistry Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-21T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/21\\\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/21\\\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/57f958f3f330a17b266d6a5cdf4cbb9b\"},\"headline\":\"7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-21T00:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/21\\\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":876,\"commentCount\":0,\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/21\\\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/21\\\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/21\\\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\\\/\",\"name\":\"7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing - West Maitland Dentistry Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-21T00:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/57f958f3f330a17b266d6a5cdf4cbb9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/21\\\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/21\\\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/21\\\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"West Maitland Dentistry Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/57f958f3f330a17b266d6a5cdf4cbb9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a7c7aa91bc1416ec2cf994a2705f6c6a495d944b601231aa0cb98565f777a339?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a7c7aa91bc1416ec2cf994a2705f6c6a495d944b601231aa0cb98565f777a339?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a7c7aa91bc1416ec2cf994a2705f6c6a495d944b601231aa0cb98565f777a339?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/tntadmin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing - West Maitland Dentistry Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing - West Maitland Dentistry Blog","og_description":"Struggling to get your child to brush or floss their teeth?\u00a0 You\u2019re not alone!\u00a0 Getting your young one to brush or floss is a daily battle that most of us encounter.\u00a0 Here are some tips and tricks to not only get your little one to have fun brushing but also get them on a life […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/","og_site_name":"West Maitland Dentistry Blog","article_published_time":"2019-05-21T00:00:00+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/57f958f3f330a17b266d6a5cdf4cbb9b"},"headline":"7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing","datePublished":"2019-05-21T00:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/"},"wordCount":876,"commentCount":0,"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/","url":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/","name":"7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing - West Maitland Dentistry Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-05-21T00:00:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/57f958f3f330a17b266d6a5cdf4cbb9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/21\/7-tips-to-get-your-child-to-have-fun-brushing\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"7 Tips to Get your Child to Have FUN Brushing"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/","name":"West Maitland Dentistry Blog","description":"","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/57f958f3f330a17b266d6a5cdf4cbb9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7c7aa91bc1416ec2cf994a2705f6c6a495d944b601231aa0cb98565f777a339?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7c7aa91bc1416ec2cf994a2705f6c6a495d944b601231aa0cb98565f777a339?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7c7aa91bc1416ec2cf994a2705f6c6a495d944b601231aa0cb98565f777a339?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/author\/tntadmin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westmaitlanddentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}